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Nations convene in Budapest to counter Iran-backed terrorism

The U.S.-led forum focused on how to “effectively disrupt and deter Iran’s terrorist plots and other illicit schemes,” the U.S. State Department said.

The city skyline of Budapest, with St. Stephen's Basilica in the background. Credit: Thomas Quine via Wikimedia Commons.
The city skyline of Budapest, with St. Stephen’s Basilica in the background. Credit: Thomas Quine via Wikimedia Commons.
Thom Quine

Thirty-five governments, including representation from the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas, recently gathered in Budapest to take action against the terror activities of Iran and its proxies.

The U.S. Departments of State and Justice convened the fifth meeting of the Countering Transnational Terrorism Forum on April 14-15 at the International Law Enforcement Academy, bringing together policymakers and law enforcement professionals to review new tactics employed by Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Ministry of Intelligence and Security, along with the Islamic Republic’s terror militias across the Middle East.

“Participants agreed on the need to remain vigilant in the face of these threats and shared actionable strategies on how to leverage all available methods and tactics to effectively disrupt and deter Iran’s terrorist plots and other illicit schemes, including by curbing terrorist travel, screening visas, pursuing prosecutions, and imposing sanctions and designations,” the U.S. State Department stated.

Washington was represented by Monica Jacobsen, the senior official in the State Department’s counterterrorism bureau, who chaired the meeting.

The forum was established in 2019 to strengthen international cooperation and awareness aimed at countering Iran’s global terror network.

Mike Wagenheim is a Washington-based correspondent for JNS, primarily covering the U.S. State Department and Congress. He is the senior U.S. correspondent at the Israel-based i24NEWS TV network.
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